Mary Meehan says she has hard life due to stepmother abuse

The stepdaughter of a former Sinn Fein councillor found guilty of child cruelty has said she has had "a hard life" as a result of the abuse.

On Wednesday, Briege Meehan, from Elmfield Street in Belfast, pleaded guilty to charges of child cruelty and assault.

The victim of the abuse, her stepdaughter, Mary Meehan, said: "People might think I'm strong, I don't feel strong, I feel like that 10-year-old girl locked in a dog hut and nobody wanting to know.